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MHC Sends Two to Endowment Conference

President Lynn Pasquerella and Daphne Chang ’16 participated in an April 3–4 conference in Cambridge, “Intentionally Designed Endowment: Aligning Your Investment Portfolio with Your Environmental, Social, and Governance Goals.”

The conference aimed to spark conversation among educational institutions and foundations about aligning their investments with their missions.

Both Pasquerella and Chang appeared on a panel discussing how to create productive dialogue across stakeholder groups.

Pasquerella's presentation highlighted the many initiatives underway on Mount Holyoke's campus to promote sustainability and reduce the College's carbon footprint. It also showcased best practices around talking about controversial issues across constituencies.

Chang’s presentation focused on socially responsible investing and divesting from fossil fuels. Her comments were informed by her personal experience as a campus organizer of MHC Divestment from Fossil Fuel’s campaign, her environmental studies major, and her participation in the national student movement, Divestment from Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice.

“My intent was to express an authentic student perspective that [identified] potential obstacles to having a productive dialogue,” says Chang. “This was to get administrators and other stakeholders thinking how we could increase collaboration and cooperation on a shared goal of aligning institutional values with our endowment.”

The two-day conference was jointly presented by Hampshire College and Second Nature.